Reform Jewish Movement Statement on United Nations Jerusalem Vote

NEW YORK – Today, the Reform Jewish Movement, represented by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), and the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA), issued the following statement:

We strongly commend President Trump and Ambassador Haley for the United States’ veto of the Security Council resolution on Tuesday and the strong U.S. opposition, in the General Assembly deliberations yesterday, to statements repudiating President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The U.S. position at the UN affirms our own position about the role of Jerusalem in Israel’s life. The URJ President, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, captured the feelings of Jews across the globe on the Shabbat morning following the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem with words we affirm again at this moment:

Our love of Jerusalem is such a powerful dynamic in our communal and individual lives... On Wednesday of this week, by declaring formally U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, President Trump affirmed an age-old dream of the Jewish people… Jerusalem is, in fact, the capital of Israel. That is how it should and must be. The President was correct in noting that a sovereign state is entitled to name its own capital. And his act of formal recognition was a powerful repudiation of the efforts of those who would promulgate the lie that Jewish attachment to key areas of Jerusalem is only a myth. And we stand, unified with Israel and Jews everywhere, in condemning violence in response to this decision.

As Rabbi Jacobs also emphasized, and we have said consistently, United States policy should be pursued in a manner that strengthens the Trump Administration’s efforts to restart an effective peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. We commend Ambassador Haley for affirming, in her speech to the General Assembly, that President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem ‘does not prejudge any final status issues, including Jerusalem's boundaries’ and ‘does not preclude a two-state solution’ and we call on all the member states of the UN to join in support of efforts to restart the peace process. Doing so successfully will be a far more effective way of achieving a viable state for the Palestinians, security for Israel and stability in the region than continued one-sided resolutions of the UN condemning Israel.